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Must-win tie for India
Spectre of fake tickets haunts Goa match
Unfit bowlers in Pak squad
India, Pak to play friendly at Lords
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‘Australia will come back strongly in WC’
English cricketers robbed
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Must-win tie for India
Margao, February 13 Yuvraj and Agarkar, who had to sit out of the first two matches of the four-match series, have recovered completely from niggling injuries and sickness to be drafted in the shorlisted 12 for the game, which the hosts need to win to keep themselves afloat. Irfan Pathan, who has still not recovered from a sore shoulder which forced him to stay out of the first two matches, has still not recovered from the niggle and will again be confined to the dressing room. The Indian team management have also decided to rest paceman S. Sreesanth while veteran spinner Anil Kumble has pulled out because of personal reasons. “Except that Irfan is still not 100 per cent fit, most of the players have recovered well and that is a good sign for us,” captain Rahul Dravid said. “In the last couple of games, Yuvraj had back spasms. But he is much better now and had fielded and batted. He is fit enough to be considered in the 12,” said Dravid, adding that Sourav Ganguly, who hurt his thumb while fielding in the slips in Rajkot, was also fully fit. With the shock five-run defeat in Rajkot still fresh in their minds, Dravid has promised that his team will not make the same mistakes, which allowed the Sri Lankans to win the match. “Like them (Lankans) we also want to win the match tomorrow. In the last match till 92nd or 93rd overs we were in control. We lost our grip only in the last five or six overs and will not allow it to be repeated. We had our chances. Their team is good and is playing well of late,” Dravid said. Rain can again play spoilsport with clouds hovering around today. The first match at Kolkata was washed out. Led by Mahela Jayawardene, this Sri Lankan outfit looks a changed side and more committed from the one that lost 1-6 to India 14 months before. They will be eager to carry on their good show and nail the hosts here. At Rajkot, India were cruising along nicely after the century stand between Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. But the ship lost its rudder once the two veterans were dismissed and some splendid bowling and fielding effort by Sri Lanka saw them pull off a thrilling win. Among the positives for India at Rajkot were the fine batting exhibition of Tendulkar, who increasingly looks like the master batsman of yore, and Ganguly, who has made a strong comeback after having been kept out of the ODI team for more than 15 months. The bowling of Munaf Patel and S. Sreesanth was also impressive with the duo reducing the Lankans to 58 for four in helpful conditions before Kumar Sangakkara’s classy century bailed the visitors out of the woods. The less-than-impressive bowling of seasoned Anil Kumble, who has never been a big threat against the Lankans in his illustrious career, the sub-par fielding and the tendency to lose way from a winning position are things that India would have taken note of. What would be heartening for the visitors was the way sling-arm pacer Lasith Malinga came storming back after the mauling he received from Tendulkar in his first spell of five overs in which he gave away 51 runs. The player with a weird hair-do superbly reverse swung the old ball in his second spell and played an important role in his team’s win. The visitors would be looking forward to an encore of this sort from their bowlers against the star-studded Indian batting line-up in the tie tomorrow, which could go a long way in pulling the rug from under the home team’s feet and sewing up the series ahead of the last tie. — PTI
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Spectre of fake tickets haunts Goa match
Mumbai, February 13 The Goa Cricket Association, which is organising the match, has a history of controversies after holders of genuine tickets were left out of the stadium while those holding forged tickets thronged the place. Sources from Goa said that tickets for tomorrow's match continue to be sold in a shoddy manner. The Goa police, however, claim that they have tightened security measures and no fake tickets are likely to surface this time. Tickets for tomorrow's match were printed at a printing press in Pune with personnel from the Goa police standing watch. However, claims from the GCA and the Goa police had received a big blow with the ICC Observer finding faults with the ticket printing and distribution system. ICC Observer Ravi Sawant told mediapersons that modern printing techniques like holograms and bar-coding which prevent forgeries have been found lacking this time as well. The question of fake tickets in Goa has drawn the attention of the ICC with Roshan Mahanama holding an inquiry into the previous scandals at the Fatorda stadium. However, GCA officials insisted that the India-Sri Lanka match would not draw too many people and there wouldn't be any sale of extra tickets.
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Karachi, February 13 Their were no major surprises in the squad but the make up indicates the lack of faith of the selectors in the back-up players. Shoaib is struggling with a knee injury and also has to pass a dope test while Gul has not played since last December due to an ankle injury. Gul and Shoaib were recalled from South Africa during the recent Test series due to their injury problems. A Pakistan Cricket Board official said Shoaib had also gone to London on a private visit to seek medical opinion about his knee injury. “He has been advised rest for two to three weeks and wanted to get a second opinion as he is keen to play in the World Cup,” he said. The Pakistani players will all undergo dope tests on Friday. Shoaib and Gul will also undergo a fitness test before they are confirmed to play in the World Cup. Selector Iqbal Qasim said the Committee had drawn up a shortlist of reserve players, which would be released soon, but it apparently includes Mohammad Sami, who is struggling with a back problem, Shabbir Ahmed (groin injury) and Shahid Nazir. The selectors were also forced to include leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who was ignored for the one-day series in South Africa. “It is strange they decided Kaneria was not good enough for the one-dayers in South Africa which would have allowed him much needed practice to settle down into his role as a one-day bowler against quality opposition. Now it has been decided that he will play in the World Cup. There is no sense in our selections,” said former captain Javed Miandad. — PTI
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India, Pak to play friendly at Lords
Karachi, February 13 "The Lords game is confirmed and it is not only for a good cause but will also provide Pakistani and Indians living in England watch their teams in action at a neutral ground," a Pakistan Cricket Board official said. He said the England and Wales Cricket Board would organise the event and was confident it would be a huge success. The official also said Pakistan and Indian cricket officials will hold a meeting in March on the sidelines of the World Cup in the West Indies to roll out the off-shore series of one-day matches between the two nations. — PTI
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Symonds in Aussie World Cup squad
Adelaide, February 13 Symonds is likely to miss the opening rounds of the tournament while recovering from a ruptured bicep tendon. New South Wales wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin was also included in the Australian squad, partly as cover for veteran Adam Gilchrist who will miss the warm-up matches ahead of the tournament to be with his wife, Mel, who is expecting their third child. Tear away fast bowler Shaun Tait and all-rounder Shane Watson also won places in the squad. Tuffey gets WC callup
Wellington: Fast bowler Daryl Tuffey was today named in New Zealand's 15-man squad for next month's cricket World Cup in the West Indies, winning his recall after a two-year absence. Tuffey won a close battle for the vacancy in the squad left by the withdrawal of Kyle Mills, who is to undergo surgery on a knee injury. Test fast bowler Chris Martin and all-rounder Andre Adams were seen as the other leading candidates for the position but Tuffey, a veteran of 76 one-day internationals, won the place after convincing the New Zealand selectors of his fitness. He last played a limited overs match for New Zealand against Australia in February 2005 after making his one-day debut five years earlier. Injuries have since kept him out of international cricket but New Zealand coach John Bracewell said he was convinced Tuffey was physically sound. The other 14 members of the New Zealand squad, which will be captained by Stephen Fleming, were all involved in the recent limited overs tri-series against Australia and England. Mashud dropped from B’desh squad
Dhaka: Khaled Mashud, who featured in Bangladesh's two previous World Cup teams as wicketkeeper-batsman, has been dropped because of his poor form from the The squad, led by experienced batsman Habibul Bashar, has eight specialist batsmen, chief selector Faruque Ahmed said. Mashud has been replaced by young wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim. Ace spinner Mohammad Rafique is among the three specialist spinners. The squad also contains three specialist pacers, led by in-form bowler Murtaza.
— Agencies
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‘Australia will come back strongly in WC’
Margao, February 13 “World Cup is a completely different tournament. Obviously England did very well to come back (and win the triseries in Australia”, Moody said. “Australia have lost a bit of momentum in their home series but have another series against New Zealand before the World Cup. I am sure they will refocus and be a tough challenge come the World Cup. Quality players wherever they come from the world don’t lose their skills overnight,” Moody, a 1999 Australian World Cup team member, said. On the third one-dayer against India, Moody said his team was pretty relaxed and in control from the beginning of the four-match series. He said the naming of the Sri Lankan World Cup squad yesterday made no difference to the team’s outlook. “We have been pretty well relaxed from the word go. There’s always going to be a difficult decision for a couple of players. As we said a week ago we were pretty sure of 14 places and it was just making the final decision for the 15th slot. “We have been planning our squad for a number of months now. It has not come together overnight but over six to 12 months period. That’s why we are pretty relaxed and in control leading into this series,” the Lankan coach said. Moody said self-belief and positive attitude were the keys to his team’s come-back win in Rajkot in the second ODI that Lanka won to lead the series 1-0. “We showed a lot of fight and character to come back in Rajkot. That has been the case over a period of time now. Coming back from tough situations. This team has got self-belief. “The game was far from being over with 15 overs to go. We showed lot of fight and did not want to let it go. To me it’s a terrific sign that we have got eleven players out on the park who are prepared fight for the very last run. “It shows that anything in the game can happen which it did the other day,” he said. “The turnaround in the team’s fortunes over the last few months had happened because of the determination of the members to work very hard, look at their own shortcomings and overcoming them with diligence, according to Moody. — PTI
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English cricketers robbed
Melbourne, February 13 The four assailants broke into the Radisson Plaza Hotel and forced the staff to the ground. They demanded money and asked about the location of the safe, the report said. Dean Conway, England’s physiotherapist, was robbed of his wallet and mobile phone by four knife-wielding men at the hotel. He was not physically harmed. The matter has been referred to the police, according to the report. The five persons who were at the centre of the action were Strauss, batting coach Matthew Maynard, bowling coach Kevin Shine, analyst Mark Garaway and security officer Reg Dickason. They witnessed the four thieves breaking into the hotel and fled to another room. "It was a pretty scary affair. Knives were produced and threats were made, but fortunately no one was badly hurt," an England team spokesman said.
— PTI
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Guwahati, February 13
Jindal had earlier captained the Indian shooting team and won the silver medal in the SAF Games held at Pakistan in 2004. He had also won two silver medals in the 48th National Shooting Championship (Big bore event), Indore, 2004. After a gruelling final, Services had to remain content with the third position. “It is nice to win a medal at the National Games but we would have been happy to win the gold,” said Mr Jindal, who has been credited as someone who gave Indians the right to fly their national flag. He had last year turned up for Chhattisgarh and under his captaincy the shooting team won the gold medal in his favourite Skeet event at 49th National Shooting Championship and retained their title for the fifth year in succession. Haryana grapplers bag 8 Gold
It was a gold rush for Haryana grapplers who stamped their authority on the mat bagging 18 medals, including nine Gold, to come out on top in the wrestling competition here. Arjuna awardee Anuj Choudhary led a late charge from Uttar Pradesh as they bagged four Gold and eight Bronze to take the second spot. Services followed with two Gold, three Silver and five Bronze. Chandigarh, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh bagged two Gold each while Punjab could manage to win only one. Punjab fail to make it to semis
Bengal drew with defending champions Punjab 1-1 and booked a semi-final berth in the football competition today. Bengal will face hosts Assam who also drew with Kerala 2-2, in the last four stage. Punjab opened the account in the 23rd minute when midfielder Balraj Singh brilliantly tackled two of Bengal's defenders before lobbing the ball over the advancing goalkeeper into the net. Bengal equalised two minutes later through a penalty kick taken by Snehasis. Punjab win gymnastics gold
In the women’s individual all-round competition of the gymnastics event, Punjab grabbed the yellow metal through Meenakshi P. who totalled 104.30 points. West Bengal’s Priti Das (102.60) and Assam’s Tumpa Debnath (101.40) claimed the silver and bronze medals respectively. Haryana men in netball final
The men’s netball final will be contested between Delhi and Haryana after both teams secured easy victories in the penultimate round here today. Delhi defeated Uttar Pradesh 39-24 while Haryana got the better of hosts Assam 30-18. — Agencies
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Bangalore, February 13 The 237-ranked Japanese clinched the affair 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the prize money $ 175,000 WTA event at the KSLTA Signature Kingfisher Tennis Centre. One of the 21 debutants in the main draw here, 20-year-old Sema dropped the first set to Fedak, who had lost in the quarter-finals to the eventual winner Italian Mara Santangelo here last year. Fedak, ranked 75th, failed to counter Sema once she changed gears in the next two sets. Sema said she was in good form at present and feeling great after the win. “Winning this match against Fedak feels great," she said. Tomorrow, Sema will take on Ukraine's 115th ranked Julia Beygelzimer, who is a baseliner and won the European Junior Championships in 2000. The action here started one day late due to a state-wide Cauvery Bandh yesterday. India's 18-year-old wild card entry Tara Iyer, ranked 550, lost in straight sets 0-6, 2-6 to Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. — PTI
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Steelers steal the show Chandigarh, February 13 The match started on a slow pace as both teams failed to impress in the first quarter. But the second quarter witnessed fast-paced hockey in which both the teams played the attacking game. However, both teams failed to score in this quarter, thanks to their custodians. The Steelers took the command of the game in the third quarter and scored twice in the space of four minutes. In the 42nd minute, Steelers shot ahead from their third penalty corner. Burno Hadrian sent in a hard and accurate push and Bimal Lakra set it up perfectly for Dilip Tirkey. Tirkey sent a measured hit towards the right post and a waiting Damandeep deflected home without any fuss. Four minutes later, Steelers scored their second goal through a brilliant counter attack following an aborted Sultans’ penalty corner. Dilip Tirkey released a quick pass to Adnan Zakir in the midfield. Adnan sent it to Bruno, whose sizzling reverse hit dodged the Sultans’ goalie Devesh Chouhan.
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Pakistani pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif were reportedly tested positive for a banned substance again in a secret dope test conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The PCB has not issued any official confirmation about the secretly conducted dope tests of the two cricketers.
A national record holder in the skeet shooting, Jindal, however, had to remain satisfied with a silver for his home team Haryana as Andhra Pradesh outscored them to bag the gold.
